Losing My Religion
by MinorChords
Summary: Separated by recent events, the survivors of Oceanic Flight 815 will learn that the plane crash was nothing compared to what lies ahead of them. Full summary inside. Please Read and review
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This is my second fanfic here and it is an experiment of mine. It takes place at the beginning of season three, therefore anything from Season 1 and Season 2 are fair game for spoilers. I usually like to write one-shots but decided to change it up a bit with this story. I'm not quite sure how it will turn out but I hope for the best and really hope that you enjoy it. Please Read and REVIEW. As always, constructive criticism is welcomed.

Rating: K+ for now but that may change later.

Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own Lost or any of its characters. They belong to J.J, ABC, etc…

Pairing: Jack/Kate, slight Sawyer/Kate, Sun/Jin, Charlie/Claire/Desmond and possibly other pairings….I'll let you know when the time comes.

Summary: Separated by recent events, the survivors of Oceanic Flight 815 will learn that the plane crash was nothing compared to what lies ahead of them. New doors are opened and secrets revealed that lead them to wonder who to keep closer: their friends or their enemies. And how can they tell the difference?

"Losing My Religion"

Chapter 1

"_Conscience is the inner voice that warns us somebody may be looking"_

_- H.L. Mencken (1880-1956)_

It's a wonder that it's still there. After the storm last night he thought that there would be torn pieces of wood and bamboo where it once stood. After all, it's the product of a priest and ex-heroine addict rock star: not exactly contractors.

Despite their lack of knowledge of construction and the monstrous hurricane-like storm, there it is; each knot still in tact, each piece of wood still firmly supported by the ground. They got pretty far within the last few weeks. Another day or two and it would have been completed.

This is the first time he's seen it since they've buried him, three days ago. He can still feel the weight of Claire's palm pressed into my own, as they stood by his grave. She's been his strength ever since Desmond came staggering out of the jungle with his body limp in his arms.

Locke was the only one to speak at his funeral saying words that sounded like they came out of a poet's memoir: kind, honorable, trustworthy were among the few. It was what everyone had expected, yet for some odd reason Charlie felt no comfort from his efforts, not even now as he stands before the last unfinished work of a man who was indeed kind, honorable, and trustworthy.

He slightly turns his head in acknowledgement to Desmond's presence beside him. The man mirrors Charlie's silent stance and draws his attention to the Church, or what would have been had it been finished.

"Still standing," He comments.

"Yea," Charlie replies, still slightly baffled at the fact himself.

"Well, somebody upstairs must have been keeping an eye on it," Desmond says, referring to the heavens above, "Because it seems like it's the only thing here still in one piece, brother."

"Yea," Charlie repeats, his gaze quickly reflecting over the broken trees scattered across the beach along with some of their belongings that got caught in the storm.

"I didn't know him very well, Eko, that is," Desmond says breaking the brief silence, "But I hear that he was a great man."

"He was." Charlie says, his gaze still fixed on the unfinished Church, yet curious as to what Desmond wants. If it's conversation, Charlie sure wasn't going to give it to him.

"Claire told me that you and Eko were building this together," Desmond comments, "a church, right?"

At the mention of Claire's name Charlie turns his full attention to the man standing beside him. Only having known him for a short time, Charlie is very cautious about Desmond and knowing that he spent enough time with Claire to come by this information does not put his mind at ease.

Desmond takes in the man's cold stare and knew that he hit a nerve. As it was not in his initial intention he continues. "I thought if you wanted, I could help you finish it….for him. I know how hard it is to lose someone, brother, and experience has taught me to-"

"If I needed or wanted your assistance, _brother_, I would have asked." Charlie snaps back.

There is a brief moment of silence before either speaks, and Charlie turns his focus back to the Church, assuming that Desmond would take a hint and leave.

"I was just offering to help." Desmond attempts, "Closure is hard to find in these situations, brother."

Charlie continues to ignore him.

"They're worried about you," Desmond continues, "They think you're going to do something to hurt yourself."

Charlie looks him dead in the eye, attempting to see what it is that he knows. Somebody must have told him about his past heroine addiction and thought that after Eko's death that he might not be able to handle it.

His gaze searches the beach and falls on Locke sitting down staring at the tide.

"If Locke was so concerned about me," Charlie replies, "He wouldn't have sent a messenger."

"As you know, brother, John's mobility hasn't been the same." Desmond says. "But he-"

"HELP!' a voice is heard coming from the jungle.

"Did you hear that?" Charlie asks.

"HELP, SOMEBODY!" a voice shouts again, louder than its first attempt.

The two men turn towards where the voice seemed to be coming from.

"SOMEBODY!" it shouts, as there is shifting among the outer-skirts of the jungle.

Hurley staggers onto the beach panting, and immediately people are at his side, among them Charlie and Desmond.

"Hurley, what happened?" Charlie questions with panic in his eyes.

"They- they took them." Hurley pants. "The others…they took Kate, Jack, and Sawyer. Michael set us up man…he, he let us straight to them.

"What's going on?" Locke yells, still sitting in the same spot. Using his upper arm strength he attempts to drag himself over to where everyone has surrounded Hurley, making the man barely visible through the crowd of people. "Hurley, is that you!"

"Yea, John!" Desmond says, walking towards Locke. "It's Hurley."

Charlie hands Hurley a water bottle as the man sits on the ground trying to catch his breath.

"We have to go back for them," Hurley states, taking a sip of the water.

"Apparently, they took you're friends, brother." Desmond informs Locke.

Locke spreads his gaze over the people before him, their eyes, though set with panic and fear, focused on him. Sun, Jin, and Sayid had yet to return to their side of the island and now without the return of Jack, Locke found himself to be the one who everyone was turning too.

"So it begins," Locke says, quietly to nobody in particular. Yet, Desmond looks at him and understands what he is talking about.

Charlie watches the exchange and he too comprehends what is going on. Indeed, it is the beginning.

"The beginning of the end." He mutters.

A/N- So what do you think. Curious about what happened to the boat that Sun, Jin, and Sayid were on. How about Jack, Kate, and Sawyer; or do you want to find out about Locke's inability to walk. If you do than PLEASE REVIEW. Anyway, hope you enjoyed.


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you to those who reviewed!

sassafras224- I hope Eko doesn't die in the show either but I thought it was necessary for the direction I wanted to go for this story. Oh and by the way don't worry, I have quite a bit Sawyer/Jack/Kate stuff up my sleeve. I love Sawyer's character but have to admit that I am a die hard Jate fan. Don't worry though, there will be a fair fight. Thanks for reviewing!

charliepacesmaug- I'm glad that you like it. I know that I'm putting Charlie through a lot but don't worry, you'll see my reason for all of this in time. Thanks for reviewing!

October Sky- I love your attention to detail. (I'm the exact same way) I wanted to do something very different then what I usually go for and definately wanted this to be an ensemble piece. The monsoom storm will play a major role and definately 'set the stage' for this story. I never really considered Charlie's reaction to Eko dying either until I came up with this idea. To be honest, this was going to be a oneshot of Charlie's reaction but I had so many ideas that I couldn't stop there. There will definately a lot of confrontation between Locke and Charlie that will also include Desmond. Trying to portray Desmond's character was very hard to me to do and different from what we've seen from the show but just remember: its all about motives. You'll soon find that Desmond has a few of his own. You'll find out about Sayid, Sun, and Jin in this chapter but I've also got many other stories to tell here and I think you'll be very shocked with one of them(trying to keep it a surprise but I've never done well with surprises). I'm very glad that you've enjoyed this. Thanks for reviewing!

"Losing My Religion"

Chapter 2

_"There are no facts, only interpretations."_

_-Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900)_

The intense sunlight on his face is what brings him into consciousness. He can feel it burning through his skin and attempts to raise his hand to his eyes as he barely opens them. A cry is released and pain ripples through his wrist like a never ending blaze, making the sun's rays seem non-existent. He lowers his gaze towards his wrist and sees that it is very swollen and bent in the wrong direction. Knowing full well that it is broken, he mutters a few words in a foreign language and realizes that his upper body is resting on what appears to be a wooden plank, while his legs are tangled with the ocean. 

_The storm_…he thinks to himself. He remembers getting caught in a storm. It had come so suddenly. They had tried to take control of the small ship but soon it began to flood as the waves brought the ocean upon it. Everything began to fall apart and the last thing he remembers is seeing a wave about 70 times his size launch itself onto them. And then everything went black.

_Oh God…_he thinks to himself, he lifts his head as his eyes scan the horizon, both before and behind him.

"Sun, Jin!" He attempts, but his voice is horse and it takes a few more tries before it is even remotely audible.

"Sun!" He tries again, "Jin!"

He sees something many yards away from him, a piece of wood possibly, and having only hope to keep him going, he uses his leg muscles to bring him towards it. He's panting and his body is aching but he doesn't give in to its request. He kicks and kicks and eventually makes it close enough to the figure to see that it is a person lying on their chest upon a piece of panel similar to his but big enough to fit an entire body.

"Jin!" he shouts as he gets closer to the man, "Jin!"

Jin is unconscious but alive as Sayid attempts to revive him. Knowing he must get the man on his back, he uses his good arm to try to turn him over but it becomes too much weight and both men end up falling from their supports and into the abyss.

Sayid yells in pain as he tries to use both arms to lift Jin back onto the panel. As he does, Jin lets out a caught accompanied by salt water and latches onto the piece of wood. Sayid situates himself back onto his panel, putting both of his arms on it to support his weight and manages to move closer to Jin.

"Jin," Sayid attempts, knowing that the language barrier isn't going to help, "Are you okay?"

Jin coughs again and says something in Korean. He looks at Sayid, his face filled with worry and fear, and repeats what he said. Still not having understood Sayid shakes his head.

"Sun!" Jin attempts for the third time. "Sun!"

"I do not know where Sun is." Sayid says.

Jin and Sayid search the ocean surrounding them, shouting her name time and time again, but there is no answer; Sun seems to have disappeared, and as they continue their attempts as best they can, the stranded men come to find that there is absolutely nothing along the horizon; the island is no where in sight.

**(Somewhere on the island)**

She awakens to nothing; complete and utter darkness. The feeling is familiar yet there is something different in the air. She feels something soft beneath her that extends beyond the length of her body and quickly sits up to find that her clothes were wet. Why was she wet? Had it rained? If it did than why wasn't her hair wet? So many thoughts flew into her head and she soon realized that she was sitting on top of a twin sized bed and had no idea how she had gotten there.

"Jack!" Kate shouts, her voice sounding hoarse. "Jack! Sawyer!"

She waits a few moments but there is no response.

"Jack! Sawyer!" She shouts again, hoping that someone would be there but there is no answer. The familiarity of being this alone puts her on the edge and she slowly gets off of the bed and gropes around until her hands come in contact with a wall. She follows it until she reached all four corners of the room and is able to tell that it was about as large as an average size bedroom. Yet, she found no light switch or doorknob during her search and the fact that she was enclosed in this room with no way out feared her more than she would like to admit.

_One_

She remembers kneeling on a dock, hands tied behind her back with Jack and Sawyer at her side, while Michael and several of the others stood around them, among them the man whom they had come to know as Mr. Henry Gale. He had a satisfied look on his face that gave the impression that he had reached a very defining moment. _Was this the end?_

_Two_

Hurley had been let got and told to return to their camp, a notion that had baffled her at the time. Nothing seemed to make any sense then, but now the pieces were all falling into place. _They had planned it perfectly. _

_Three_

Michael had been in on it all along and had willingly led them into the hands of these people. His actions hardly seemed that of a human being but then again he wasn't acting as a human; he was behaving of that of a father whose son was in danger, a mindset that Kate could never understand. _But why are we here?_

_Four_

The man who claimed to be Henry Gale had said that they were the good guys, a comment that Kate didn't know what to do with. Throughout all the time the survivors had spent on the island, the others had been anything but kind. She remembers Ethan abducting Claire and had heard the tales from the survivors that had crashed on the other side of the island. If these people are the good guys Kate wondered…._Who are the bad guys, then?_

_Five_

She hadn't seen Sawyer or Jack since they were on the dock. The last thing she remembers before they put the bag over her head is the look that Jack had given her. His eyes were hard and set with determination but she saw far beyond that and noticed that her own fear was reflected in his gaze, similar to the time that she had been captured by the others in the jungle. So much has changed since then yet she can still see beyond his exterior.

She slowly took a deep breath in and silently cursed the situation she was in. The darkness and the silence she could handle; it wasn't anything she hadn't encountered before. It was not knowing that made her resort to giving in to the fear. Not knowing where she was, if Jack and Sawyer were alright, what they were here for, who these people were, and if they were ever going to make it out of this place alive.

Suddenly lights flickered quickly on and then off again only to be back on. She shifted at the change in the atmosphere and used it to her advantage to take in the room. It was just as she had thought it was; clad with only a bed, its walls were made of steel and without a doorknob or light switch, which led her to wonder: _who had turned on the lights?_

There was a loud bang and a part of the wall, about the width of a door way, was being retracted up into the ceiling. She slowly made her way around the bed and stood behind it. Kate looked at the new opening being made and noticed that someone was standing behind it. Finally enough had been retracted for her to realize that it was someone she had recognized.

A/N: Who do you think it is? Unfortuantely you won't be able to find out for 9 more days because I am going out of town and won't be able to update until I get back. To be honest, I was a little nervous writng Sayid's character because he doesn't display much emotion in this scene. Please REVIEW...it really helps me to know what you think and how to improve. Hope you enjoyed!


	3. Chapter 3

Okay, i have had this written for a while but didn't want to add it b/c when i saw what happened on the premeire of lost I noticed that there were a few similarities ( I was like Wow, that's what I wrote!). But just to clarify this does not tie in with the season 3. This still continues from the end of season 2.

I know that it may seem confusing at first but just keep in mind that they crashed Sept 22, 2004 ( if I'm not mistaken). Everything will become clear later on. I really hope you enjoy reading this as much as I have writing it.

Losing My Religion

Chapter 3

_"The end justifies the means" - Machiavelli_

The first thing that brought him into conscience was a throbbing pain that traveled from the back of his neck to the crease between his eyebrows. He opened his eyes and it took him several moments to remember what exactly happened.

The shock hadn't nearly subsided when he realized that his hands were chained to the wall like a prisoner. He pulled on the restrains and was unsuccessful; they were bolted deep into the concrete wall and had no chance of loosening. He examined the wall behind him as best as he could and noticed its precision. There were cement seals between each concrete block which he could guess were about a foot and a half inches long and double that amount in width. _Somebody had built this_, he thought to himself.

He looked straight ahead of him, and a strong glare coming from the middle of the run led him to determin that there was a glass wall; at least two inches thick. Through it he saw several computers similar to the one that was in the hatch. There was a very large digital clock on the wall similar to the one that displayed the time left before the button had to be pushed in the hatch, but it had more numbers on it.

122620041826

_122620041826….what did that mean. Was that a code? _So many thoughts ran through his mind at that moment, including the whereabouts of Kate and Sawyer. _Dammit_…it was his fault. He had wanted to tell them the truth about Michael and his intentions but Sayid thought it was better if nobody else knew. _Sayid_…. Jack hoped that he was alright. Everything had gone completely wrong and Sayid was probably looking for them by know. But then again, how long had they been here, where ever _here_ was? Had Hurley made it back to camp already? Questions continued to run through his mind and it felt like they were never going to stop. _Why were they here? Where were Kate and Sawyer? Where was _anybody?

It was the first time Jack really noticed that he was completely alone. Henry Gale or any other of the others were no where to be seen. The only thing on the other side of the glass were the computers, a few chairs, two doors at opposite ends, and the clock, which now displayed:

122620041827

Jack closed his eyes and began to count; old habits die hard, that is if they even die at all. He continued to count but didn't stop at five. …_10….11…12…._ It wasn't enough to set the fear a safe distance away and the more he kept on counting the faster it seemed to engulf him completely.

_Somewhere in the ocean_

He felt the familiar sensation that something just wasn't right; now usually these types of predictions had failed him in the past, leading to conclusions that could be passed for a child's interpretation, but there was something about the air, and the waves, and the way the small boat thrust into the horizon, becoming equally apart of each, that lead him to think otherwise. Upon learning from his mother that he had a guardian angel, probably no more than 5 or 6 years old, Michael had spent a good number of days searching for him. But then he grew up, and in doing so, learned the truth about the things that once furrowed his brow. He became more practical, an unusual characteristic for most artists, but that was who he was; trading in his childish ways, along with them his belief that someone was watching over him.

But now, Michael couldn't help but feel that it wasn't just general intuition leading him to believe that they were at the wrong end of the situation, or at least close to it.

It took him all but a few seconds to tell the others that he would bring Kate, Sawyer, Jack, and Hurley back to them, knowing that he and Walt would then get to go home. Sure, they were his friends, but blood is thicker than water; Walt was more important….

_Flashback_

_Jack Shepard_

_Hugo Reyes_

_Kate Austen_

_James Ford_

_The midnight setting made it difficult for him to see through the thick forest, but he knew where he was going. Determination flared in his eyes, burning the salt water tears that he refused to submit to. Or perhaps it was his lack of sleep, or neither; it didn't really matter. All that mattered was getting there and bringing them back, without them knowing what they were walking in to. _

_The forest became denser as he continued on, his breath becoming shallower, and his eyes never leaving his path. He couldn't stop to catch his breath, to feel the air circulate through his lungs because then he would feel everything. The pain, the guilt, and everything that came in tow with an ultimatum such as his own._

_His pace became quicker, each step an invitation to the next, until it was almost as if his legs were moving in a parallel motion. The darkness thickened even further, his peripheral vision becoming impaired; the feel of Walt in his arms again the driving force of his undertaking._

_He didn't anticipate the hardness of the ground against his cheek, or the soft soil staining his already worn shirt, but there he was sprawled out on the forest floor; a vulnerable prey to the midnight jungle._

_He quickly attempted to lift himself back up again, but no sooner had he gotten onto his feet was he back on the ground. The source of the problem became apparent as he noticed one of his feet entangled in several jungle vines. He tried to release it from its captor, but was unsuccessful._

_After several more attempts that ended in defeat he began clawing at it like one of the wild animals they had previously characterized the 'others' as, but it wouldn't work._

_He felt his lungs expanding and contracting deeper as he continued to tear at the vines, a rather stupid move on his part because with each pull of his captors, it felt as if something was pulling at his insides, showing no mercy in exposing them in all their sorrow._

_A violent sob threatened to overtake him but he suppressed it, refusing to come to grips with everything that lead him to this moment. But he soon learned that in denying his soul their natural rights, he further exposed himself to the torture. So he submitted to the feelings, to the tears, and to the moment that he would remember for the rest of his life._

_Jack Shepard_

_Hugo Reyes_

_Kate Austen_

_James Ford_

_It took a while for him to silent his sobs, and when he did all the energy that he had before the fall was lost and he felt every muscle in his body shake as he stood and tried to continue walking. He walked for a good fifteen minutes before his trembling limbs became too much and he started to slightly stumble over his feet. He heard voices ahead of him, where a faded light glistened, complementing the forest green of the leaves. There were at least two of them, and one was definitely a women. _Rousseau? _Most likely not, but he decided that it didn't matter as he continued towards it. His peripheral vision began to fade but he figured that it wasn't for the same reason as it was before. The voices were close, very close, he determined, as the rest of his vision began to fog._

_The tremble that had impaired his muscles soon engulfed him entirely, causing him to trip over his own feet with each step, shuffling the bushes. _

"_Michael?" he thought he heard Kate's voice._

_But before he could fully determine, Michael's legs caved from underneath his worn exterior and upon loosing his footage, was forced into darkness._

_End of Flashback_

It replays in his mind over and over again, each time becoming increasingly vivid; sleep only encourages the nightmare, leading Michael to spend most of his nights awake underneath the stars, though they look no different then the ocean to him.

Michael had lost count of how many days they were at sea, but he knew it was more than he could count on his fingers, having Walt there to remind him all the time. Their food and water supply was getting scarce and he knew that they would have to find another source within the next few days or….

"Dad!" he heard Walt shout.

Michael quickly shuffled over to his son, who was at the stern of the small boat pointing into the ocean, obviously in a state of distress. He looked into the blue abyss, many yards away and saw what had caught Walt's attention.

It was a body. Still, floating on top of the waves, wherever the current would take it.

Michael swiftly stopped the boat and made his way back over to his son, who was still looking at the floating body in shock. It got closer and closer, and soon close enough so that he was able to identify it.

_But it couldn't be?_

"Sun!" Walt yelled. "Dad, its Sun!"

Michael quickly dove into the water upon hearing his son's declaration, which confirmed what he was thinking, and swam to Sun as fast as he could, a thousand questions streaming through his mind that concluded even more possibilities.

"Dad!" Walt screamed to father, his face filled with terror, hand visibly trembling while he pointed past his father. "Watch Out!"

Michael turned his head towards the direction Walt had pointed to and saw what looked to be a large grey fin disappearing beneath the surface.

Somewhere on the island

_There was a loud bang and a part of the wall, about the width of a door way, was being retracted up into the ceiling. She slowly made her way around the bed and stood behind it. Kate looked at the new opening being made and noticed that someone was standing behind it. Finally enough had been retracted for her to realize that it was someone she had recognized._

"Sawyer," Kate said in disbelief.

But sure enough there stood Sawyer, behind him the man who had worn the fake beard. Still in a state of shock, Kate was taken off guard when the man shoved Sawyer into the room, the door then retract back down and the lights turned back off, leaving them in complete darkness.

"Sawyer?" She voiced into the darkness.

"Kate" He replied, obviously groping around for her throughout the room.

She stiffened when she felt his arms first attentively touched her back, as to make sure it was really her, and then wrap his arms around her from behind. She soon turned in his embrace, wrapped her own arms softly around his neck, thankful to at least have somebody there with her.

"Kate," Sawyer whispered, his breath tickling her ear, "Merry Christmas."

A/N: so what'd you think….please review!


	4. Chapter 4

Okay, I know I have been neglecting this fanfiction a lot and I apologize. I've had a serious case of writer's block and once I saw "I Do", I was too furious to write anything. I will try my best to keep the updates regular although I can't promise anything. Please READ AND REVIEW. I know that this chapter is short but hope that it will help w/ some of the confusion (if it does not add to it)

A/N- you may have also noticed that I changed my pen name to MinorChords...its still the same me just a different name :-)

Hope you enjoy...only about a month left until LOST comes back!!!!

Disclaimer: still don't own them (oh and nikki and paulo are the same from the show)

_Losing My Religion_

Chapter 4

_The opposite of talking isn't listening. The opposite of talking is waiting_

_- Fran Leobowitz_

They're staring. It's been hours since Hurly had made it back to their camp. The only source of light they have now consist of the fires that are scattered across the beach. The lack of sunlight doesn't excuse him from noticing them; it's been hours and they're still watching him; waiting.

They want an answer; he knows that they want someone to tell them what to do. It didn't seem that way a few hours ago when they all wanted to charge through the jungle, to seek revenge. They all looked at him as if he were an outsider when he said they should wait; like he wasn't on their side.

But now, as sure as he is sitting there before the fire, there they are, practically begging him to say something, anything that would ease their furrowed brows.

He has to make an effort to keep from laughing; expressing how humorous he found this situation probably wasn't the best idea right about now. It was almost like one of those Saturday-morning cartoons he used to watch. 'With the help of an ex-heroine addict, a millionaire, and the other survivors of Oceanic Flight 815, John Locke must trek through the possessed jungle to bring back the doctor, the con man, and the fugitive, who have been captured by the evil 'others'. '

Being the former Collections Supervisor of a box company, he couldn't help but feel unqualified.

"John," It was Claire, "John, are you okay?"

"Yea," he replied, "I'm fine, why?"

She secured Aaron in her arms as she changed positions on the sand to face him. "You just didn't seem to be here" He gave her a puzzled look, "Spacing out"

"Oh," He said, once he understood, "No, I'm here. Just thinking."

"I could tell" she smiled as he chuckled at her remark, "It's been an interesting day,"

"You could say that again," He countered. He began running the tip of Eko's stick softly through the sand. "How's Hurley doing?"

"Still in shock," she replied, "Charlie's with him now. Paulo and Nikki tried talking to him again, but it didn't help much."

"I wouldn't expect it to," He said with a sad smile, "He's going to need some time."

Claire looked up as Charlie and Paulo each took a seat besides her.

"How is he?" She asked, although already knew the answer.

"No change," Charlie replied, "Still doesn't want to believe it"

"What do we do about Jack, Sawyer, and Kate?" Paulo asked, his eyes focused on Locke. "People aren't going to sit around forever. You saw them this afternoon."

"I know," John said, his patience beginning to run thin. Everyone wanted answers.

He could feel the gaze of the rest of the onlookers, who tired to look as if they weren't eavesdropping. It had only been a few hours and already he was getting tired.

"We can't just sit here," Charlie insisted. "We-"

"Unless you want me to round up a search party and have them go gallivanting through the jungle, at night, unarmed, right now there is nothing we can do." Locke took a deep sigh before speaking again. "We just need to….stop with the whole torch and pitch forks idea and….relax"

"John's right," Claire spoke, breaking the silence that followed Locke's statement, "We can't get ahead of ourselves. We need to come up with a plan."

"Any suggestions?" asked Paulo, his voice hopeful, his eyes, as well as everyone else's, on Locke.

There was a brief pause before Locke spoke.

"We should wait for Hurley to get better," Locke said, "Or at least as best as he can in the next few days."

"It'll take more than a few days John," Claire said. "You said he'd need time yourself. In this case, time's more like a few weeks, even a few months."

"We can't wait that long," Charlie said, defensively. "And you saw him yourself when we told him. The man's completely lost it. He refuses to believe me or any of us."

"And the more I think about it the more I'm beginning to believe him." Came Locke's reply, which puzzled his friends and those within earshot.

"How?" Charlie asked as if it was the most absurd statement John Locke has ever made. "John, you were there. We spent weeks searching for them, there wasn't a stone left unturned on this island. Then, he stumbled onto the beach this afternoon as if he fell out of the sky."

Charlie's voice was louder than usual, which caused the number of onlookers to multiply.

"He thinks that he, Jack and the rest of them left to see the others two days ago, John." Charlie continued, "He was gone 37 days. Who leaves for 37 days and doesn't remember a single thing?"

a/n- what do you think...I think I got the timing right. They crashed sept 22, and they've been on the island for about 60 days...then there's my time frame... i no it probably just added to the confusion but its all part of my master plan ( at least i think it is). please let me know what you thought of it!


End file.
